Asia & debut Latin America rankings reveal rising stars

Looking at thecontext of Asia,China takes position at the summit of the ranks with 39 higher education institutions placing in the top 200, Peking University being its star performer. China is Asia’s rising star, a significant amount of its institutions represented at the forefront of world rankings – Tsinghua University jumping into the top 20 and the two flagship Beijing institutions anchoring their spot in the elite.Japan takes a joint pole position with China, likewise locking 39 institutions in the top 200. Other Asian nations are gaining importance on the ranking stage including South Korea with increasing investments in research and development, as well as Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong being the third and fourth most represented regions. India placing fifth, in terms of Asian performance, gives indication that its excellence initiative boosting 10 public and 10 private institutions, is promising in solidifying the nation’s competitive standing (see ACA Newsletter-Education Europe, March 2016).

While china and Japan have the highest density of top institutions in the continent, for the first time two Singaporean Universities jointly represent Asia’s best universities, supported by a high quality school system and generous immigration policy, increasingly attracting a global talent pool. The National University of Singapore (NUS) in first place followed by Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Coming to the Latin American context, for the first time receiving its own ranking, Brazil leads the charts, claiming half of the spots out of 50 rated institutions. The University of Sao Paulo claims first, and the State University of Campinas second place. Chile is the second most represent country, the Pontifico Catholic University being its star performer. Mexico secures two spots in the top 10 and Colombia’s University of the Andes enters last, but not least in the top 10 list. With a variety of Latin American nations represented in the 50 strong list, this region-specific ranking unveils a diverse higher education field, contrasting pictures pained by a rankings framed at the global level. With an exponentially growing population-share of young people and high growth in student numbers, many Latin American regions are expanding their priorities for higher education – aware of its crucial role in harnessing the innovative and growth spurring potentials of a rising urbanized youth.

The rise of Asia’s universities on the global stage, with key nations locking down their representation while others enter the ranks, sends strong signals that the continent takes its search for excellence seriously. Latin America in a surge to respond to its flourishing demand for higher education, bears the potential to commence a before unmatched sector shuffle, driven by ambitions for widening access, a search for quality and new relations of universities and their environments.